Former UAW Officials, UAW Dissident Group Urge A “No” Vote on GM Deal

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/6920

Former UAW Officials, UAW Dissident Group Urge A “No” Vote on GM Deal - 09/28/07

By Doug Cunningham

Three former UAW Executive Council members and the UAW dissident group Soldiers of Solidarity are urging UAW GM workers to vote against the tentative agreement that suspended the UAW strike this week. Soldiers of Solidarity quoted the Wall Street Journal saying the health care trust fund in the agreement will let GM’s CEO accelerate growth outside the U.S. Former UAW Executive Council member Jerry Tucker says the VEBA health care trust can’t possibly guarantee retiree health cre for 80 years as UAW leadership says.

: “I have no idea what they’re smokin’ there. Because there’s never been an 80-year period in U.S. history when we didn’t have a significant cyclical downturn, two or three. It’s really a weird comment, to be quite honest, to say we’ve insured somebody for 80 years – when in reality the first large recessionary period could easily wipe that entire thing out.”

Tucker says agreeing to replace current health care for UAW GM retirees with the VEBA wipes out any chance of getting the auto companies to back a national universal single payer health care system.

: “It takes all of the pressure off General Motors to be in any way supportive of a national health care system, which America desperately needs.”

Both Tucker and Soldiers of Solidarity also believe it’s a huge mistake to give the Cost Of Living Allowance the UAW won in a 67 day strike against GM in 1970.

[Jack Bone]

1. I don't think it's that good of a deal either..

I'm a Chrysler employee who'll be voting against a contract similar to this, if and when they reach a temporary agreement. I don't like the two-tier wage proposal, it's going to be horrible for plant & departmental morale. I despise the loss of COLA for our retirees. If we end up with something similar to GM, I'll cast a "NO" Vote.